


PART ONE: THE MASK AND THE FACE BENEATH IT

by OnlyBrookeJones



Series: Fight It ➶ Once Upon A Time [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15910731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyBrookeJones/pseuds/OnlyBrookeJones
Summary: Season 1 of ABC's Once Upon A Time ➶ "It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you,"





	1. Prologue

A twelve-year-old girl set her sack down and quietly closed the door to her home.

"Dad, guess what I caught today?" She calls into the house with a grin.

She expected her father to come out of one of the rooms with a playful guess to her question, but instead she heard nothing.

Unsettled, the young girl swept the loose hair from her braid away from her face and walked further inside the house.

"Dad?" She tried calling out again. She adjusted the bow that was slung across her shoulders as she started searching for her father in the house.

Meanwhile, behind the house, angered voices created an aura that opposed the one inside. Four men were dressed in what seemed to be white navy uniforms. Two of them forced a fifth man in rugged jeans and a leather jacket rather harshly down to his knees.

"Did you actually believe you'll escape the king's clutches, _Nathan_?!" One man, who appeared to lead the group, spat the man's name as he yelled the question. "You think it's so easy to just run off and betray the navy, huh? That's _treason_!"

They didn't draw any attention despite the man's yelling. The Cohens' home was isolated away from the village.

"I was gone for more than 10 years, Arran," Nathan said. His face was covered in bruises. "I'd be hoping the king would drop a case when a man is nowhere to be found,"

Arran simply chuckled and said, "Nowhere to be found? I have to say, your plan to escape to another realm is brilliant. But, you should know that our king is very clever and has powerful connections," His face lit up mockingly. "Of course you wouldn't know that, you turned around on your first mission,"

The two men hardened their grip on Nathan and he groaned.

"And since you left so early," Arran continued. "I'm betting you're not aware of the consequences of treason," He then pulled out a sword that was strapped on his belt.

The man on his knees tried to hide his emotions as he said, "You work for a king who strives for order and peace, and yet, he encourages death amongst his people. What good are you working for?"

He groaned again as the two men gripped him tighter, silencing him, and Arran tapped the sword against his left hand, the arrogant look on his eyes saying it all.

"Dad?!"

At the sound of the voice, all men turned to see the young brunette girl, who's face was mortified at the scene.

Nathan's face fell completely at the sight of the child, managing to say, "Get inside, Cookie,"

The girl was breathless. Her father's use of her nickname was nothing compared to the thoughts running in her head. All she could think of was hunting. While it wasn't against the law, it was a risk only few were willing to take.

She held gazes with her father, not even caring why the navy out of everyone would be handling this.

"D-Dad, wh-what's..." She stuttered, slowly took a step forward.

He turned to Arran and pleaded, "Please, not now. Not in front of my girl,"

Arran studied the girl and his eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of gold on the girl's neck. Based on that alone, he immediately knew she was Nathan's.

He turned back to the man with a raised brow, "A daughter, huh? Too bad... She looks nothing like you."

"DAD?!"

The girl's heart raced as she looked from Arran's sword to her beaten father.

She couldn't lose her father.

She couldn't.

She started walking towards them as tears were already welling up in her eyes and the fourth man held her back as everything happened too fast for the twelve year old.

" _ **NO!**_ "

Her scream was all that could be heard as the sword was thrust into her father's stomach. His face was stricken with fear, not of death, but of the trauma he knew he set on his daughter forever.

Arran mercilessly removed the bloodied sword from his body as the life left his eyes and he fell to the ground.

The girl screamed out of grief, fear, fury and hatred for the men as she elbowed the man behind her. He groaned at the impact and released the girl momentarily, allowing her to run towards her father. A second man tried to pull her away, but the second he laid hands on her, she kicked his groin and landed a punch on his face. She proceeded with the third man with a hook on the jaw followed by an elbow to the stomach.

Arran watched the girl with wide eyes as she knelt beside her father's bloodied corpse. He suddenly found himself looking at her tear-stricken face, but her eyes were fearful when she realized she was face to face with her father's murderer.

The young girl slowly stood up and backed up, but slipped in her petrified state. All the other men have recovered from her blows by then as they all looked at her with one thought in mind: they had to get rid of her.

It was part of the deal they made; they couldn't leave any trace of themselves behind.

Still panting, the girl reached for her boot and pulled out a knife.

She knew she couldn't take on all four men by herself- not while she couldn't see through the tears, not while she couldn't think straight, and not while she couldn't accept that her father was gone.

Her eyes quickly swept past the three other men until her gaze landed on Arran, who's white uniform was stained with her father's blood. One of the other men tried launching himself for the girl, and out of fear, the girl instinctively threw the knife straight at him.

Straight to his heart.

Everyone's eyes bulged out of their sockets as the man collapsed on the ground, lifeless.

Taking advantage of the shock, the girl sprinted past the men and went back into the house. She picked up her equipment and her sack before running away.

Away from the men.

Away from the house.

Away from her dead father.

She never looked back.

* * *

Later that week, news was reported in the village of the man's death and the girl's disappearance.

The girl's name was Brooklyn Cohen.


	2. 1 ➳ ENTERING STORYBROOKE

 

**_DISCLAIMER:_ ** _I OWN NOTHING BUT BROOKLYN JONES AND MY IDEAS_  
**_LAST EDITED:_ ** _JUNE 30 2018_

➳

 ** _IT WAS YET_**  another day in the quiet town and Brooklyn sat up on her bed to find herself in an apartment. Waking up from a dreamless night with comfortable clothes a blanket draped across her lap was still something to get used to.

The teenager ran her hands through her hair and headed into the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was still surprised to see normal bed head hair without any traces of dirt on her face. Her eyes averted from her face and down to her neck, where a gold necklace hung.

Brooklyn held onto it instinctively and brought it up to admire the details on the pendant with a small smile on her face. The engraving was beautiful and expensive- a special heirloom she got from her father.

Her fingers fiddled to open the pendant and inside it were two family pictures. The left photo had a family of three in a group hug and grins plastered on their faces. A little blonde Brooklyn had dark roots as she stood between a blonde woman and a dark-haired man. The right photo was more recent. Brooklyn's hair was darker as she stood beside her Dad- the father and daughter each had a bow slung across their shoulders.

The teenager felt her smile widen at the more recent photo, remembering the day her father taught her how to hunt.

A few minutes later, Brooklyn came out of the bathroom in a shirt and jeans and she grabs her leather jacket that was hanging on a chair. She quickly made her way out the door that she missed the cardboard box in front off her doorstep. She cursed and quickly caught herself before she fell.

"Really?" She muttered to herself. She picked the box up and noticed the note taped on top.

**_''Found some spare clothes in my apartment. Hope you like them :) -M. Margaret"_ **

Brooklyn opened the box to find warmer clothing inside and smiled at Mary-Margaret's choice of style. She brought the box into her apartment and just as she was about to shut the door, her face lit up in realization.

"I forgot my phone!"

* * *

 

Brooklyn pushed the door open to Granny's, ringing the bell above. This caught Ruby's attention, who straightened her posture and quickly tucked her phone back in her pocket.

Brooklyn immediately noticed her uncomfortable state and raises a brow at her. "Hey, you okay?"

Ruby sighed in relief and made her way to the teenager. "Yeah, thought you were a customer, and Granny hates it when I text on the job,"

"Well, I'm not on duty yet so I still count as a customer," Brooklyn smirked, earning her a glare from Ruby. Brooklyn laughed at the woman and said. "It's just me! You're fine,"

The teenager took a seat on one of the diner's stools as she glanced at the way Ruby dressed her uniform that day. She tied the blouse around in a way that it revealed her stomach and Brooklyn mentally thanked Granny for letting her skip the uniform policy with the job. The teenager simply couldn't imagine herself wearing anything like Ruby was.

The red-haired woman slid Brooklyn a cup of coffee, which she took gratefully before she asked Ruby, "So any stories to tell?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, same old every day. You?"

"Not much either," Brooklyn said, setting her cup down. "Same faces, same routine,"

Ruby simply shrugged, "I guess that's life," She bent down and rested her elbows on the counter as she brought her phone back out and resumed whatever she had been doing on it.

Brooklyn wasn't bothered by Ruby's actions as her thoughts wander off to when she first met the woman.

One night, the teenager was casually nibbling on a chocolate bar she stole at a grocery as she smirked to herself, thinking, _"A warning isn't gonna stop me, Graham,"_

A concerned resident spotted her wandering alone and pointed her to Granny's Inn, and Brooklyn remembered being weirded out at the sudden gesture. No one around town liked her since she was a stubborn troublemaker who stole and bothered other residents in town, but the teenager guessed the old woman either hadn't heard of her or didn't recognize her then.

When Brooklyn arrived at the Inn, Ruby was the first one she saw at the desk and immediately offered her a room. Granny let her stay without cash payment, but instead offered Brooklyn a part-time job at the diner. Ruby was more than willing to help, and Brooklyn soon found herself somehow getting along with her first friend.

Brooklyn was snapped out of her thoughts as the diner's bell rings, and Ruby straightened her back as a grin formed on her face. "Mary-Margaret, what can I get you?"

Brooklyn turned on her seat to see the dark-haired woman take a seat at one of the tables and said, "I'll have my usual order,"

"Got it!" Ruby replied and proceeded to the kitchen.

Brooklyn hopped off her stool and took an apron from the counter, tying it around her waist.

"Brooklyn, did you get the clothes this morning?" Mary-Margaret asked.

The teenager made her way to the woman and nodded. "Yeah, I love them!"

Mary-Margaret smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you like them,"

Brooklyn casually sat down across from her and asked, "So... I was wondering if I could come over for dinner later?" She added a cheeky grin at the end, which made Mary-Margaret laugh.

"You're always welcome,"

Brooklyn pumped her fist victoriously and whispered, "YES!"

Mary-Margaret's smile widened in response.

* * *

 

"Brooklyn!"

The said teenager perked up upon hearing her name and turned to see who it was.

Henry Mills, the ten-year-old son of the mayor, rushed out of the school right after the bell rang. He held a large leather-bound book in his arms and immediately made his way to Brooklyn with a grin.

"Brooke, check this out!" He showed her the front cover of the book and it read  ** _ONCE UPON A TIME_**.

Brooklyn bent down to his level and feigned surprise as she said, "Woah, Henry, you read all of this already?"

Henry frowned and said, "Of course not, Brooke!"

Brooklyn chuckled amusingly, "I know, I'm just messing with you. You didn't have this yesterday,"

Henry's eyes lit up as he asked her, "Can we go to my castle, Brooke? I want to tell you about the book,"

"I thought you said you haven't read it yet?" Brooklyn gave him a look.

"Not all of it. Come on!" Henry corrected and he proceeded to dart off towards the direction of the playground.

Brooklyn simply shook her head at herself, thinking,  _"I'm never gonna learn how to catch up to this kiddo,"_

* * *

 

Brooklyn watched as Henry hoisted himself up the wooden castle's platform without the need of the stairs. A proud smile made its way on her face as weeks of him practicing paid off. "So, how was school today?"

"Do you ask that question just because you babysit me?" Henry asked her.  "I mean, school's school,"

"Can't I ask as a friend?" Brooklyn told him, propping herself up to sit beside him. "I actually do want to know what you did in school, and plus, Ms. Blanchard's a good teacher,"

Brooklyn momentarily reminisced the time Mary-Margaret homeschooled her. The teenager really didn't want to go to school with the rest of the kids, so Ms. Blanchard had to make do with homeschool.

Henry smiled at Brooklyn at the mention of  **a friend**  and set the leather book down on his lap. Brooklyn immediately knew he was changing subjects- which she didn't mind. She's always loved that about him. "Speaking of Ms. Blanchard, she was the one who gave me this book earlier during our break. I'm not exactly sure, but I think she's in the story,"

"Really?" Brooklyn raised a brow. "How so?"

"Trust me on this," He said, opening the book and flipping through the pages. He stopped at an image of a newly-wed couple holding onto each other tightly. "This is Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. I have a feeling  _this,_ " He pointed at the bride, "...is Ms. Blanchard,"

The teenager simply narrowed her eyes at the picture, then stared at Henry with a blank expression, not knowing where he was getting to.

➳

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_ ** **_LOVE YOU ALL_ **

 


	3. 2 ➳ EXACTLY THE SAME

**_DISCLAIMER:_ ** _I OWN NOTHING BUT BROOKLYN JONES AND MY IDEAS_   
**_LAST EDITED:_ ** _SEPTEMBER 17 2018_

➳

 ** _AN ARROW LODGED_**  itself onto an improvised target on a tree, joining the other arrows in a similar position with a thud.

Brooklyn sat a few feet away and sighed as she launched another arrow without difficulty. The arrow split the first one she shot at dead center. It was the same bow her father had first made for her and one of the few things she took with her when she ran away.

The brunette stood up from where she sat and proceeded to pull her arrows out of the tree, throwing the split one away.

It was more than two weeks since Henry received his book of fairy tales, and he's been bringing it with him everywhere. He had been trying to convince Brooklyn that everyone is a character in the stories and his mom- who he said was the Evil Queen- cast the Dark Curse that brought everyone here with no memory of their past lives.

Brooklyn simply found it very imaginative of him, but the boy came to her that morning with the new-found determination to prove his ideas true.

* * *

 

_Brooklyn was working her usual shift in Granny's with Ruby and the diner's bell rang yet again. The teenager looked up from her current task to see Henry come in with the book in his arms. He sat down at the booth nearest the door, and Brooklyn glanced at the clock hanging above the counter in confusion._

_"Henry, aren't you supposed to be in school?" She asked the boy, walking up to him._

_"Yeah, but school doesn't start in like twenty minutes," He told her, earning him a doubtful look from Brooklyn. "I just have to show you something!"_

_Brooklyn simply nodded as he opened the book at the page where he had a bookmark inserted. The page had an image of a man carrying an infant in a blanket that had_ **_Emma_ ** _embroidered on it._

_"You remember Prince Charming, right?" Henry asked her._

_Brooklyn raised a brow in agreement. "Yeah. Snow White's Prince Charming?"_

_Henry nodded and corrected her, "_ **_Mary-Margaret's_ ** _Prince Charming,"_

_The teenager mouthed a prolonged "okay" in response and he continued, "This is their daughter, Emma, who also turns out to be my birth mother,"_

_Brooklyn felt her eyebrows scrunch up at his sudden conclusion. "And how do you know that?" She asked him doubtfully._

_"Just trust me, I know," Henry reassured her, but it wasn't exactly working. "That's why we have to go look for her,"_

_"_ **_Look_ ** _for her, Henry?" Brooklyn repeated. "Kiddo, where would she be?"_

_"I'll tell you after school, but the book says she's the savior who's going to break the curse," Henry said. He suddenly looked up and Brooklyn followed his gaze to the clock. "I gotta go. See you later, Brooke!"_

_Brooklyn reached for his arm as he stood up. "Henry...,"_

_"I'll explain later, I promise," He said. He saw Ruby walking behind Brooklyn and he said. "Bye, Red!"_

_Brooklyn let go of his arm and let him leave the diner, looking back at Ruby with a confused look._

_"What was that all about?" Ruby asked._

_Brooklyn sighed and said, "If I knew, I would tell you,"_

* * *

 

A knife was thrown a few feet away and it let out a thud as it hit the target's center.

Brooklyn groaned in frustration. She couldn't take the whole morning conversation out of her head and she couldn't tell whether Henry was being serious about his whole plan. The fact that she wasn't picking him up from school that day frustrated her even more.

The teenager stood up and pulled the knife out of the tree, placing it back in its leather case before heading out of the woods and to her apartment.

Her "apartment" was more of a small unit a floor beneath Mary-Margaret's. The aforementioned woman had shown it to her once they had enough for rent. "It's like a room..., with a bit more privacy," was how she described it, having sensed Brooklyn's sense of independence since they met. Brooklyn had appreciated it since, but she still enjoyed crashing Mary-Margaret's every now and then.

Brooklyn kept her bow and arrows at the back of the closet and kicked her shoes off her feet when her phone suddenly rang.

"Hello?"

"Brooklyn," Regina said over the line. "I was wondering if you could you pick Henry up after his therapy session? I have a meeting that I'm afraid I can't miss,"

"Of course," Brooklyn replied. 

"Thank you. He takes around thirty minutes so you can pick him up anytime there. Curfew is at eight,"

"Got it," Brooklyn nodded though Regina obviously couldn't see her.

"Thank you,"

Brooklyn ended the call and proceeded to head to Dr. Hopper's office, thinking it was better to come early. 

Henry's therapy sessions started since Regina sensed her son's loneliness, although Henry had already been going to Brooklyn for comfort and company. When he got the book, it broke her when he told her it confirmed his thoughts on his mom being evil.

* * *

 

Brooklyn waited outside Dr. Hopper's door after she knocked. A few moments later, Archie opened the door with his signature grin. "Hey, Brooklyn! I'm kind of busy with a patient right now, but I can get back to you later,"

Henry heard Brooklyn's name and peeked out from the back, waving at her, "Hey Brooke!"

The teenager waved back at him before facing Archie again. "Oh no, it's fine. I'm just here for Henry. Is it okay if I stay during the session?"

Archie smiled at her, knowing her and Henry were inseparable. Henry only started opening up to him when Brooklyn was around, so he trusted her to stay even during confidential sessions. "Sure, of course. That'll be great!"

Archie opened the door wider and motioned for the teenager to come in. Pongo immediately jumped for her as she took a seat next to Henry. Archie sat back down across the two as he continued where he left off.

"So, um... Henry... About the book, why do you think it connects directly with our town?"

Henry shrugged and said, "I don't know, Archie, it just does. I mean, most people that I've seen here match the book, along with what they do here,"

"Can you give an example?" Archie asked.

"You," Henry blurted his answer out right away, that Archie leaned back in surprise. Brooklyn tried to suppress a laugh at the doctor's reaction and ended up coming out as a weird cough.

"Okay...," Archie slowly nodded. "How am I in the story?"

"Well, for starters, you're Jiminy Cricket," Henry answered. "And everyone knows that Jiminy Cricket is a conscience. You're a therapist. You give people advice when they feel troubled."

 Archie nodded, following his train of thought, and said, "How about Brooklyn? Do you think she's like someone in the book too?"

Brooklyn looked at Henry expectantly as he thought of an answer. "Um... I think I saw one here," He took out his storybook fro his bag and flipped through the pages, eyes lighting up when he found what he was looking for. 

The page showed an image of an archer. A hood hung over her head and a mask covered her features. "Here. This is Brooklyn,"

"Who do you think she is?" Archie asked him, and Henry simply stated, "Brooklyn,"

"Henry," The teenager spoke up. "I think what Archie meant was who you think I imitate,"

"Exactly," Henry said, looking at her. "You imitate Brooklyn  _Jones_ ," He emphasized the last word and Archie caught on.

"Alright, so how is Brooklyn related to the character in the story?"

"They're exactly the same person, because you," Henry looked at his friend. "Came from the real world, so your memories were only changed from your time in the Enchanted Forest down until you last step foot in this world."

Archie nodded while Brooklyn processed his words, zoning out.

 _" 'Until I last stepped foot in this world till my time in the Enchanted Forest.'_   _He thinks I traveled to another realm."_  She thinks.

Suddenly, Brooklyn was sucked into a vision of some sort. 

Brooklyn was running deeper into the forest and she heard shouts behind her. The teenager figured she was running away from a group of men. Gunshots were suddenly heard and she felt her alter ego ignore them. The whole vision stopped when Brooklyn felt her alter ego gasp.

"Okay, that's it for today Henry," Brooklyn snapped out of her thoughts when Archie closed his file folder. 

Henry stood up and gathered his things, Brooklyn following him as Archie led them to the door. "See you both tomorrow,"

The two smiled and thank him, and once they were both out of the office, Brooklyn spoke, "So..., interesting comparisons to the book. Was that connected to this morning, calling Ruby  _'Red'_ earlier?"

Henry pretended to think for a moment and hummed, "Kind of, yeah,"

Brooklyn grinned and ruffled his hair, asking, "Mind explaining this morning over dinner at Granny's?" 

The boy immediately perked up. "Definitely. I've got all the details in my backpack.

At that moment, all Brooklyn could do was brace herself on how to handle this situation as best as she can for him.

* * *

 

"A-are you... Wh-what do you..." Brooklyn fumbled for the proper words until it clicked. "Are you serious?! Say you got the name and contact information right, but Boston's a four-hour drive from here. You'd be lucky not to get caught,"

Henry had just explained to her his fully-laid-out plan on finding Emma. Using a website that was able to track down his birth mother, he found some information that convinced him that this Emma was the same Emma from his fairy tale book.

"We can do this, Brooklyn," He prompted. "I know you won't let me do this alone, so you can come with me to look for Emma, and somehow I can bring her back here with us,"

The teenager could only sigh. The situation felt impossible: Henry was a child who wanted to see his real mother and take this shot at finding his family. Brooklyn practically saw the hope in his eyes.

Brooklyn sipped her coffee in front of her as she weighed every aspect of it, and she couldn't even believe herself when she came to her decision. 

"I'll do it," Henry's eyes nearly bulged out. Was she letting him do this? "But your mom's going to kill me when she finds out you skipped school,"

Henry laughed and shot his arms up. "YES! Yes, thank you, thank you!" He jumped out of his seat and hugged Brooklyn tightly on the other side of the table.

Brooklyn laughed as she hugged in back. "Alright, calm down, kiddo. We have an hour and a half left, so we gotta finish planning,"

Henry grinned. "Thanks, Brooke,"

* * *

 

As the two walk home to the mayor's house, the 10-year-old looked up at his babysitter and said, "We should name our mission, you know. It'll be fun,"

"What name do you want?" The brunette asked him.

"Operation Python,"

"Then Operation Python it is!" Brooklyn smiled at him and Henry grinned back at her.

➳

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**_LOVE YOU ALL_ **


	4. 3 ➳ OPERATION PYTHON

**_DISCLAIMER:_ ** _I OWN NOTHING BUT BROOKLYN JONES AND MY IDEAS_   
**_LAST EDITED:_ ** _JULY 4_ _2018_

➳

 _ **BROOKLYN GROANED AS**_  her alarm clock blared and she immediately slammed the snooze button without lifting her head off the pillow. The teenager had forgotten that she set it earlier that it usually does, so she got a few extra minutes of sleep.

Once she finally found the energy to permanently turn the alarm off and sleep peacefully again, Brooklyn glanced at the time  _and_ the alarm's label.

Brooklyn's eyes went wide and she jumped off the bed.  _"Shit!"_

The label read "Operation Python".

And she was late.

The teenager stuffed her backpack with whatever she found useful- money, food, a first aid kit, and knives- before grabbing a set of keys and heading out the door.

Brooklyn ran down the stairs and got into her barely-used car, throwing her bag at the back

It still confused the teenager up to that day how she was able to own a car, though it was simply a small black one that was almost useless to her until this day. Starting the engine reminded her of the first time Mary-Margaret was in a car with her and couldn't keep her eyes open the whole drive.

Brooklyn then proceeded to make a quick stop at Granny's, knowing that she needed help before she headed out with Henry.

The brunette walked into the diner, and Ruby smirked upon noticing her use of her car. "Ooh fancy ride there, Brooke. Didn't think you'd bring that bad boy out anymore,"

Brooklyn simply gave her a look that told Ruby to be serious as she sat on one of the stools. "Ruby,"

"I thought you had some special  _business_ with Henry," She said as she leans on the counter.

"Yeah, about that business," Brooklyn started, trying to think of the best way to explain what she and Henry were about to do. "Henry wants to find his birth mother and she happens to be out of town. I'm helping him out in--,"

Ruby cut her off, saying, "Wait, you two are going  _out_  of Storybrooke?" Brooklyn nodded. "And what do I have to do with this?"

"I need you to cover for us," Brooklyn answered. "Regina has no idea we're doing this, and the minute she finds out Henry's gone, she's going to Graham. I think you and I both know how she's going to blow up,"

" _That,_ " Ruby pointed out, a smile making its way to her face. "I can agree on. How far out are you going?"

"Boston," Brooklyn stated. Ruby's brows raised in surprise. "I know it's a lot, Ru, but-,"

Ruby shook her head immediately. "No, no, no, it's fine. I can cover for you both," She turned around and poured coffee into a cup. "I know you'll come back unharmed. That's just... really,  _really_  far,"

Brooklyn sighed, thinking about the four-hour drive they were going to push through with. "Tell me about it,"

"Here," Ruby slid two travel cups in front of Brooklyn- one had coffee while the other held hot coco with cinnamon. Before Brooklyn could even speak, Ruby said, "You'll both need it. On the house,"

"Thanks, Ruby, really," The brunette said, taking the two cups, and she stood up.

"No problem, Brooke," She smiled as the teenager left the diner. "Good luck!"

* * *

 

Brooklyn sighed in relief as she pulled up beside the school and spotted the school bus. She wasn't late. She saw Henry run out of the bus then darted towards her car the second he caught sight of it. 

Henry excitedly opened shotgun and the teenager asked, "You got everything you need?"

"Yup," Henry replies, popping the  **p**. "Water, first-aid, money, the info from the website and the book, of course,"

He spoke with such enthusiasm it made Brooklyn chuckle.

"Well then," She said, imitating his energy with a grin, and pulled out to the driveway. "Operation Python is on!"

The boy laughed and Brooklyn smirked. "Oh, come on! You know I'm one amazing actress,", 

"No way!" Henry stuck his tongue out which widened Brooklyn's grin. "Okay... Whatever floats your boat,"

Brooklyn then motioned to the two travel cups resting on the cup holders and said, "I got hot coco with cinnamon for you over there. Breakfast is in my backpack,"

Henry perked up at the mention of food and immediately reached for the bag.

"So, your mom thinks you're in school?" Brooklyn asked a question, but it sounded more like a statement. 

"She has no idea," Henry replied.

A small smirk slid on his face, making the teenager shake her head in disbelief. "I think you've been spending too much time together, kiddo. We're going to be in so much trouble,"

The ride was comfortably silent for a few minutes as Henry munched on breakfast, when he said, "You know, nobody's allowed to leave town,"

This made Brooklyn scrunch her brows up in confusion. "But we just did. We past the  ** _Leaving Storybrooke_**  sign earlier," The teenager was adding pressure to the gas at the sight of an empty road, hoping to get to Boston earlier.

"That's because we were born here," Henry clarified. "Everyone else came from the Enchanted Forest, so leaving the town will make bad things happen,"

Brooklyn could only nod and follow along to what he was saying, not knowing whether to believe or doubt him. 

* * *

 

When the duo reached Boston, Henry was fast asleep on the passenger seat as Brooklyn parked the car near a subway station.

She had no idea how to get around Boston and the last thing she wanted was to get lost with Henry. She lightly nudged the boy and said, "We're here, kid,"

He blinks a few times, before looking at the teenager. "So what now?"

The girl inhaled deeply, trying to come up with a plan. "You have the address?" The boy nodded and she continued, "We'll find a map somewhere down in this station, and we'll find our way to Emma," 

Henry nodded again and the two got out of the car, slinging their bags over their shoulders as the teenager muttered, "The things I do for you, kid,"

* * *

 

Brooklyn sighed in exasperation as she and Henry finally stepped out of the station.

 _"That was the last time we're squeezing ourselves in a train,"_  She told herself.

The two made their way to a bus station and stood patiently when Henry suddenly tugged Brooklyn's arm. "Brooke, I got it from here,"

Brooklyn was confused and pulled him aside for a moment. "What do you mean you  _got it from here_?"

"You could leave," Henry explained, but he was cut off by Brooklyn, who said, "No, Henry. I'm not just leaving you here in Boston alone,"

Henry tried reasoning with her and said, "You've got four hours back, Brooke,"

"So do you,"

"My mom probably found out I'm gone already," Henry reasoned again, but Brooklyn reassured him and squatted down to his level. "I've got Ruby to cover for us back in Storybrooke. She knows we're here,"

Henry wasn't giving up."If Emma sees you, she might not want to come home with me,"

"You don't know that,"

"I just...," Henry paused, finding his words. "I really want to do this. I want her to come home,"

His tone was desperate, making Brooklyn close her eyes and breathe for a second.  _"I can't believe I'm doing this,"_  She thought.

"Okay...," She sighed, and Henry's eyes widen, surprised that he convinced his friend. "Do you know how to get there?"

"Fifth stop with the bus, then a taxi straight to the building," He repeated the directions the teenager had told her back in the train.

Brooklyn nodded and said, "Right. Stay low as best as you can. Do you have my number?"

Henry nodded reassuringly and said, "You'll be the first one I'll call if anything goes wrong," He grinned at her gratefully. "Thanks, Brooke,".

The girl gave him a half smile in return, standing up. "I've got no other choice, do I?"

"You won't regret this," He encouraged and hugged her tight.

"I better not, kiddo,"

➳

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**Author's Note:**

> Check out the full story on Wattpad:  
> https://www.wattpad.com/story/41476062-fight-it-➶-once-upon-a-time/
> 
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